[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 93 (Monday, June 13, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S3824]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       CBO COST ESTIMATE--S. 2943

  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, on June 10, 2016, the Congressional Budget 
Office released a detailed cost estimate for S. 2943, the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017. This measure was 
reported by the Senate Committee on Armed Services on May 18, 2016, and 
includes provisions that affect authorizations for appropriations, 
revenues, and direct spending. As chairman of the Senate Committee on 
the Budget, I will use this estimate for scorekeeping and budget 
enforcement purposes. Senators and their staff can access the full 
estimate on CBO's website, www.cbo.gov/publication/51683.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a summary of CBO's cost 
estimate be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

               Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate


    S. 2943--National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017

                            (June 10, 2016)

       Summary: S. 2943 would authorize appropriations totaling an 
     estimated $603.9 billion for the military functions of the 
     Department of Defense (DoD), for certain activities of the 
     Department of Energy (DOE), and for other purposes. In 
     addition, S. 2943 would prescribe personnel strengths for 
     each active-duty and selected-reserve component of the U.S. 
     armed forces. CBO estimates that appropriation of the 
     authorized amounts would result in outlays of $587.8 billion 
     over the 2017-2021 period.
       Of the amount authorized for 2017, $544.1 billion--if 
     appropriated--would count against that year's defense cap set 
     in the Budget Control Act (BCA), as amended. Another $0.2 
     billion authorized for nondefense programs would count 
     against the nondefense cap and an additional $58.9 billion 
     authorized and designated for overseas contingency operations 
     would not be constrained by caps.
       The bill also contains provisions that would affect the 
     costs of defense programs funded through discretionary 
     appropriations in 2018 and future years. Those provisions 
     mainly would affect force structure, compensation and 
     benefits, the military health system, and various procurement 
     programs. CBO has analyzed the costs of a select number of 
     those provisions and estimates that they would, on a net 
     basis, decrease the cost of those programs relative to 
     current law by about $14 billion over the 2018-2021 period. 
     The net costs of those provisions in 2018 and beyond are not 
     included in the total amount of outlays mentioned above 
     because funding for those activities would be covered by 
     specific authorizations in future years.
       In addition, CBO estimates that enacting the bill would 
     increase direct spending by $10.9 billion over the 2017-2026 
     period. S. 2943 would have an insignificant effect on 
     revenues. Because enacting the bill would affect direct 
     spending and revenues, pay-as-you-go procedures apply.
       CBO estimates that enacting S. 2943 would increase net 
     direct spending and on-budget deficits by more than $5 
     billion in each of the four consecutive 10-year periods 
     beginning in 2027.
       S. 2943 contains intergovernmental and private-sector 
     mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 
     (UMRA). CBO estimates that the aggregate costs of the 
     mandates would fall below the annual thresholds established 
     in UMRA for intergovernmental and private-sector mandates 
     ($77 million and $154 million in 2016, respectively, adjusted 
     annually for inflation).

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